Finland Eurovision 2018 odds

Saara Aalto will perform the track “Monsters” for her native Finland at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest following a closely fought national final. In 2016 Aalto was a runner-up in the thirteenth series of The X Factor UK, which gained her international recognition.

Due to her success in the UK, Aalto was considered a shoe-in to represent Finland in the 2018 song contest, and three different songs performed by her were in the running. On Saturday, March 3, the song 'Monsters' was chosen over her other two songs 'Domino' and 'Queens' by both an expert panel and a vote by TV viewers at home.

The uptempo dance track – one of three the former X Factor finalist performed as a potential contender for this year’s pan-continental songfest – nabbed the golden ticket to Lisbon ahead of fellow contenders Domino and Queens. It triumphed with 183 points following both the votes from international juries from across Europe – including the UK – as well as votes from the public in Finland.

Aalto told the Finnish public broadcaster Yle that 'Monsters' has everything people have come to expect from a Eurovision song. It is easy to dance to, it has beautiful vocals and it has a good twist. The singer says in this case the twist is a lot like herself: a little strange, with a mystical theme.

Singer, songwriter and voiceover actress Saara was born and raised in Finland, where she has established herself as quite the star. She narrowly missed out on singing for Finland in the Eurovision song contest twice (in 2011 and 2016), plus she came second on her home country’s version of The Voice. She’s also released several albums and – brace yourself – she’s done voice work for Pokémon. However, for many fans this will all mean nothing compared to her biggest work: playing Anna in the Finnish dub of Frozen.

Like with many hit songs these days, 'Monsters' is the result of international teamwork. Aalto worked with Joy and Linnea Deb from the Swedish song writing group The Family, and with the English producer and songwriter Ki Fitzgerald to create the finished product.

Aalto auditioned for the X Factor in 2016 and blew away the judges with her heartfelt cover of Sia’s Chandelier. In particular, Nicole Scherzinger was very impressed, saying “my arse wants to clap for you”.

It’s not the first time Saara has dabbled in Eurovision either having previously taken part in their national final in 2011 and 2015 in a bid to represent her home country.

Confirming she would be competing in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest for Finland, Saara announced previously (via Eurovision.tv): “I know that this journey is going to be fantastic regardless of the results of the actual competition."

She joked: "I'm of course jumping right in with the attitude that I can win the Eurovision Song Contest – or at least finish in second place! That's something I've been great at, no doubt about it."

"This is going to be a superb experience for the whole of Finland! I have a strong Finnish and international team with me, together we're able to make great things happen,” she added.

Odds on Eurovision Song Contest 2018: Will Finland qualify for the final?